the tiny wispy feather of a seed
holds unseen
a blaze orange zinnia
on a tall green stalk.
the miniscule pearly dot
on the milkweed leaf
holds unseen
1 - a diminutive caterpillar
2 - a fat striped one
3 - a milky green chrysalis
4 - the monarch beauty
emerging with wet wings
and high hopes.
the flaky brown bulb
pushed into nearly
frozen fall earth
holds unseen
a pinkish red tulip.
or at least it did.
the tulip’s petals
now hide unseen
digested by a
neighborhood rabbit.
my stomach rolls
(they call it belly fat)
hold unseen
a memory of roundness,
the curve of a uterus
which held unseen
my growing babies.
three separate times.
now they are fully
seen and grown adults.
my sore knees
hold unseen
the imprint of
movements and moments
skipped and walked
biked and ran
jumped and danced.
everyday steps and
outlandish adventures.
my aching back
holds unseen
memories of moves
and hefted groceries
and balanced babies
and piles of books. and boxes.
what is still unseen?
what magic remains?
what memories
are hidden in the
fullness of our bodies?
so much of beauty,
strength, power,
so much of life
ambles, bursts,
emerges, slides out.
or it’s embedded in us
unseen but known
deep in our bones.
*****
Today I’m sharing this poem I composed for my writing group last week. Unedited. Imperfect. Letting it go as is, which aligns with some of my themes from last week’s post.
Almost everyday I take a walk on my lunch break. I work in a windowless office, and my soul craves a view of the outside world. Even on dreary or rainy or snowy days. Even for ten minutes.
The prompt for our writing group was “seen and unseen.” I pondered that on my lunchtime walk and jotted down these words back at my desk.
As my writing group's fantastic facilitator, author Christi Craig from
said, "Sometimes that's the best first drafts, when we have a strict amount of time -- and no time to think too hard about it -- and we toss the words on the page."In life, as in writing, sometimes it’s best when we don’t “think too hard about it.”
I hope you enjoy this poem. I hope it helps you see some of the beauty of life - both the seen and the unseen - right here in between.
With gratitude,
Mary
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I'm not much of a poetry person but I love this.
Yay!!! You make me want to write poetry! And - makes me want to not think too much! :-)
Thanks so much for posting this today. It always lifts my spirits to read a bit of poetry. It always lifts my spirits to read anything you've written. Hugs!
Lori